How to prepare content before a website project

Begin with the business priorities

Write down the services the business most wants to sell, the customers it is best placed to help and the areas it genuinely serves. This gives the project a commercial centre.

Do not begin by copying the navigation from the existing website. The old structure may be part of the problem.

Collect the questions heard in real conversations

Sales calls, site visits, appointments and support emails contain useful website material. Record the questions customers ask about suitability, process, price, timing, access and risk.

These questions are usually more valuable than a list of topics invented to fill a blog.

Gather proof before making claims

If evidence is not available, do not replace it with vague superlatives. Explain the process and add proof as it is earned.

• Verified qualifications and accreditations
• Real project photographs with permission
• Customer reviews and their source
• Warranties or guarantees with accurate terms
• Case-study facts and measured outcomes
• Team experience that can be substantiated
• Policies, licences or memberships relevant to the service

Decide who owns each content task

Agree who drafts copy, who supplies technical facts, who selects images and who gives final approval. The person with the most senior title is not always the person with the best operational knowledge.

Set one final approver so feedback does not arrive through several contradictory email chains.

Prepare assets in an organised way

Use clearly named folders for logos, brand files, team photographs, projects, certificates and documents. Provide original files where possible rather than images copied from social media.

Add a short note explaining each project photograph and confirm permission. Context is what turns an image into useful evidence.

Identify information that must stay accurate

• Business name and legal details
• Telephone, email and address or service-area information
• Opening and response times
• Prices and what they include
• Qualifications, memberships and expiry dates
• Terms, cancellations and warranties
• Accessibility and parking details
• Privacy contacts and data-processing tools

Leave room for the designer to shape the page

Supplying information is not the same as dictating the final layout. A strong designer will organise the material around the customer journey and may recommend splitting, shortening or moving content.

The business remains responsible for factual accuracy. The designer is responsible for making the information understandable and usable within the agreed scope.